Foreclose properties, upcoming sales

Foreclosure is a legal action the county takes as its final effort to collect delinquent property taxes.  You can bid on these properties at public sales. Bidders should research each property carefully as they may find other liens against the property besides the tax debt.  

Each property sold “as is” with no expressed or implied warranties of any kind, including merchantability and fitness for a particular use.  

Taxes, penalties and interest, court costs and expenses from the foreclosure process to the time of sale are the responsibility of the property’s purchaser.

Before the Tax Sale 

• View the list of properties scheduled for the next tax sale. Properties are listed in the Austin Chronicle 21 days before the sale and online, 15 days before the sale.
• Use the Bidder's Basic Guide to research properties you are interested in purchasing.
• Submit the Request for Bidder Registration Statement to Purchase Real Property at a Tax Sale (Solicitud para participar en las subastas de propiedades) and the $10 fee in person or by mail to the main tax office at 5501 Airport Blvd., Austin, TX 78751, at least five business days before the date of the sale.  
• Approved bidders’ statements are valid for one year.

Deadline to submit your Request for Bidder Registration Statement to Purchase Real Property at a Tax Sale

Day of Sale 

• Arrive before 10 a.m. at the Travis County Heman Sweatt Courthouse, 1000 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78701, to check in and receive your auction number.
• Bring your valid, government-issued photo identification and a valid bidder's statement for the date of the sale. 
• Bidding begins with the minimum-allowed bid. The minimum amount includes delinquent taxes and fees owed when we posted the property for sale.
• Winning bids are payable at the tax sale. Payment must be made in good funds. If a payment is dishonored, a deed will not be issued and the bidder will not be permitted to bid in future tax sales. The only acceptable methods of payment are:
  • United States currency
  • Cashier's check
  • Certified check
  • Electronic funds transfer 

After the Sale 

• We mail receipts to the purchaser a few weeks after the sale. 
• Within four weeks, we mail a Constable's Deed. This is not a warranty deed and serves only to tell you the ownership held by the tax lawsuit defendants. The lawsuit is part of the foreclosure process, allowing the county to receive a judgment from the court that it can sell the property for delinquent taxes. The deed also tells you the property is free of tax liens for the years included in the tax lawsuit. However, other taxes may be due on the property.